


Scripted

by reduxcadeaux (Londy)



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Graduation, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Soulmate AU, also shu worries about mika like the mother he is, kuro and shu are both dumb, the kind where the first words your soulmate says to you are written on your skin, where is my kuroshu reconciliation event happy elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-06
Updated: 2017-05-06
Packaged: 2018-10-28 20:27:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10838829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Londy/pseuds/reduxcadeaux
Summary: Kiryuu isn't allowed to be anywhere except by Shu's side, even if he doesn't know it.





	Scripted

_Aren’t you lonely like that?_

 

Of all the phrases to be permanently etched into his skin, it had to be something as… impudent as that. It’s been on Shu’s forearm for as long as he can remember, and since it’s still there then evidently his soulmate is still alive. How quaint. Frankly, Shu never really bought into the concept of soulmates to begin with. The flowery, fantastical language some people used to describe the moment they met their soulmates had always grated on his nerves and put him further and further off of ever bothering to track down the cause of this sappy tattoo that he never signed up for. It wasn’t worth his time, and it wasn’t as if he needed whoever it was by his side to get by in this world. He was fine.

He used to dream about his soulmate being that woman. Long ago, when he’d still been a child and she’d still been alive, he’d secretly hoped that the words on his wrist would miraculously change to “ _And you must be Itsuki-kun, hm?”_ and he’d be the happiest boy on Earth. Never mind that she was decades older than him and married with children of her own. He’d let himself daydream, as children are wont to do, and maybe that’d been what made her passing all the worse. She was a lesson in the consequences of fantasy and in the danger of not controlling everything that he cared for.  
He still thinks about her, sometimes. He’ll get lost in thought  while measuring and stitching, just like he’s doing now, and wonder what she’d think of him if she could see him today. Surely she’d be proud of his sewing, and of his dedication to his craft. She’d always been so encouraging and gentle… So many of his fond memories of her were tightly woven into Mademoiselle, much to Kiryuu’s chagrin. It was his way of grieving his first love, as childish as it seemed. Maybe it wasn’t the best way to grieve, but he didn’t let himself think about it that much.

The needle in his hand slips and catches on the side of his index finger, drawing a thin line through his skin that begins weeping blood. Shu hisses in frustration, quickly pulling his hand away so as not to stain the jacket he’s been slaving over for the past hour, and reaches for a tissue to sop up the cut. He breathes a small sigh of relief upon inspecting the fabric and finding it unmarred, although he still curses himself for being so amateurishly clumsy. Absolutely ridiculous. He’s gotten more and more absentminded as graduation draws closer. He can’t possibly be this concerned about Kagehira, can he?

A small part of him acknowledges that yes, he can be, that he is. That failure of a doll still needs more tuning, and Shu constantly feels like he’s running out of time to build him properly and give him everything he’ll need to assume his role as the school’s sovereign. Valkyrie has endured enough humiliation, and Kagehira… Mika, he’s suffered through much more than he could’ve possibly deserved. Shu worries his lower lip with his teeth as he considers the frightening possibility of Mika failing. 

There’s a rapp on the doorframe of the club room, snapping Shu out of his reverie. Damn it, he’d forgotten he’d asked Kuro to assist with a sudden influx of work for the end of the school year. Everyone was putting on some sort of grand final performance, particularly all those graduating in a few short weeks, and the costume commissions were particularly extravagant. It was a huge workload on top of Valkyrie’s own preparations, but it also meant more funds to save up for next year and so Shu had accepted everything that came his way. 

“Oi, you okay?” Kuro asked, setting a bag down on the corner of the table. “You got a first aid kit in here, right?”

“It’s fine. The cuffs of those blouses all need to be trimmed with ribbon,” Shu replies curtly, gesturing with a nod of his head. He still needs a bandage, but he doesn’t need Kuro taking care of him. He should be the one relying on Shu. Kuro spares another glance at the now bloody tissue, but decides to let it go and start in on the task he’d been given. He may be a brute, Shu thinks as he fetches disinfectant and a bandage, but at least he values hard work. He finds himself relaxing somewhat as he resumes his own work, comforted by the presence of his old (if somewhat estranged) friend at his side. It certainly hadn’t been the easiest of years now that they were back in each other’s lives, but it’d at least been better than wasting away in his room after what Tenshouin had done to him and his beloved Valkyrie. It had taken a lot to pull him out of the pathetic state he’d been in after the war, and Shu supposed that Kuro’s presence was a part of what had brought him back to reality. Even if he was still bitter about their past -and he doesn’t let himself think too much on some of the crueler things he’s said to Kuro about it- he still found himself wanting to be a presence in the man’s life. Deep down he knew he’d never be able to have him as a doll, but… Somehow that didn’t bother him, even with how deep seated his need for control was. It’s not like that brute would ever be held back by marionette strings, anyways.

“There’s lunch in the bag, y’know.”

Shu blinks, glancing at the paper sack Kuro had unceremoniously dropped on the table he was sitting at.

“And are you expecting me to eat some homemade bento of yours, Kiryuu? Eating is a waste of time. I have work to be doing,” he huffs, focusing back in to examine a seam. Kuro rolls his eyes.

“You’re gonna pass out if you never eat anythin’. You like those croissants from the cafeteria, right?”

Shu immediately perks up and pulls the bag over. Sure enough, as soon as he opens it the scent of freshly baked croissants wafts up towards him, and he can feel his mouth water slightly.

“Hmph. I suppose you can be useful when you try,” he mutters, savoring his first bite of the buttery, flaky confections. He can hear a quiet laugh behind him, but otherwise Kuro stays quiet.

Shu and Kuro manage to burn through the day’s work by the time the last few rays of daylight are beginning to fade. Feeling satisfied, Shu tucks away his supplies and begins packing up his things to head home. Kagehira was working late and would make his way back on  his own, as he often did. 

Kuro stands and stretches his arms over his head, shirt riding up a bit as he sighs and shakes off the tension from sitting still for so long. Shu catches a glimpse of words on his forearm, mostly concealed by the sleeve of his shirt. He’s met his soulmate too, then. Although, thinking about it, he can’t ever recall Kuro mentioning anything about a soulmate before. Certainly not while they were children, at least. Perhaps they met in middle school. Maybe his soulmate was another idol, someone with whom he’s been working and performing, someone to share a stage with. It could’ve been Hasumi- wait, no. He’s with that insufferable Tenshouin. Who else, then? More importantly, why should Shu care regardless of who it was? It’s nothing he needs to bother concerning himself with.

 Right. Not his concern. _Puppet strings won’t work on Kiryuu_ , he reminds himself. Shu straightens up and begins to head out the door, sparing a glance back at his friend. “I need you here tomorrow as well,” he states, not leaving any room for dissent.

“Hm… I might be kinda late. I got my own club meeting to handle too,” Kuro replies, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and walking out alongside him. “I can still probably help out for an hour or two, though. You gonna be okay to get everything done?”

Shu waves his hand dismissively, swallowing back his frustration and disappointment. “Of course I will be, who do you take me for?”

“A pretty reliable guy, actually. But I’m not keen on findin’ you passed out somewhere ‘cause you forgot to rest.” Shu preens slightly at hearing “reliable”. “It’s no good sacrificing your health like you do.”

“You don’t need to concern yourself with me like that, you mother hen,” Shu huffs, crossing his arms and eliciting a snicker from his companion. “I’m no child anymore, there’s no need for you to bother looking out for me.”

Kuro shrugs. “Might not need to, but it’s not like it’d be easy to just leave you alone either. I guess I get a little sentimental sometimes? What with graduation so soon and all,” he muses, turning his gaze upwards as they exit the building.

Of course graduation has been on Shu’s mind, like it has been for the entire class of 3rd years. He fully intends to continue performing and creating, and he has to take the next year to clear a space for Kagehira once he finishes school (and he will finish, Shu is absolutely not hearing any talk of that idiot dropping out early to join him). He realizes, though, that he has no idea what Kuro intends to do once he leaves school. He certainly has raw talent and power as an idol and came into his own as a member of Akatsuki, but he couldn’t tell to what depths the passion for being an idol ran within his old friend. And not knowing things about Kuro didn’t used to bother him, but now that they were so close to their futures -so close to likely parting ways again- that uncertainty unnerved him to a degree that he was almost angry with. Shu has to consciously remind  himself not to bite down too hard on his lower lip, lest he start bleeding while they walk.

“And pray tell, what do you intend to do with yourself after graduating?” Shu finds himself snapping, his tone harsher than he intended. Kuro flinches for a brief instant, stopping walking for a moment before he responds.

“But I’m the mother hen, huh?” he says, frowning slightly. “Figured I’d start undeclared at a university and work part time.”

“And waste all the work you’ve done as an idol?” Why is he so angry? It’s none of his business what Kuro does or doesn’t do after high school. “It would be criminal not to put your talents to use, and if you can’t realize that then you must be a bigger fool than I took you for.”

He’s pushing it. He knows he’s pushing it, but he can’t help feeling distraught at the idea of never getting to see Kuro perform again. Why is he reacting so strongly to this? Shu can see Kuro’s expression hardening slightly.

“Since when did I need to get permission to not be an idol anymore? Sure it was fun, and I’m glad I did it, but it’s time to move on. Not all of us are like you, Itsuki,” Kuro sighs.

“But you could be!” Shu exclaims, his tone rising. He’s lucky the streets are fairly empty with no one around to hear his outburst. He’s barely even paying attention to where they’re going. “Don’t you see that? You have power on stage, you oaf, you have such exquisite passion and strength that couldn’t possibly be duplicated! How could you possibly throw all of that away and go back to some commoner’s existence?”

Kuro’s face reddens slightly as he takes in the compliments mixed with anger. “Commoner? Seriously, is that all you care about? I get you think I’m okay on stage, but I can’t do that for the rest of my life-”

“For god’s sake, would you stop that?! I won’t have any more of you talking like you’re average, it’s maddening!”

“You ever think you’re just seein’ what you want? Look, I respect you wantin’ to be a professional idol, but I’m tellin’ you that’s not how I wanna live,” Kuro manages, unconsciously clenching his fists and digging his nails into his hand.

Shu can feel his heart pounding in his throat. _Stop already, he’s obviously upset._ “Pathetic,” he spits. _You aren’t allowed to leave if I haven’t said you could._

Kuro growls under his breath, picking up the pace of his stride and forcing his gaze downward. “You’re a real brat, you know that?”

Shu crosses his arms again, forgetting not to bite down so hard on his lower lip. He tastes metal and feels his pulse running ragged thanks to his little episode. He forces himself to stare straight ahead as he walks, half worried that if he glances at Kuro he’ll get worked up again. They continue on in silence, and he vaguely realizes that neither of them are headed towards their homes. It’s starting to get dark, and yet they’re still both letting their legs carry them by muscle memory to… He isn’t sure where. Regardless of where they’re headed, he’s left with plenty of time to mull over what made him so upset.

Shu knows he doesn’t, can’t ever possibly own Kuro like some of his more base impulses might like. He couldn’t ever dream of controlling his actions or what he decides to do with the rest of his life. He’s fully aware of that, and yet he still bristles at the thought of Kuro just… leaving, and having nothing to do with him. So that would be why he got angry, but he still can’t tell why he feels that way. Is this really just childhood sentimentality?

“...to be happy.”

Shu blinks and glances over at Kuro. The sun has almost completely set by now, he registers. “What did you just say?”

Kuro sighs. “You really didn’t hear any of that?” I said that I’m not tryin’ to… insult you or something by not wanting to be on stage. I just wanna live peacefully, after what a trouble I was as a kid. And that even if you hate me for it, I’ll still just… want you to be happy. Doing whatever it is you wanna do.” His face is somewhat flushed, but it’s barely noticeable in the dying light.

Shu feels his mouth go dry. “How am I supposed to be happy if you don’t-” he starts, but he catches himself this time. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes for a moment, not meeting Kuro’s gaze when he opens them again. “The thought of never seeing you create again is… Difficult to swallow. I don’t understand how you couldn’t possibly want to put your talents to good use,” he says.

“Is that what it is?” Kuro asks, tilting his head. “Like I said, not everyone’s like you, Itsuki. We don’t all have that singleminded drive that you do. Can’t say I never wished I did, a’course. But that’s just one of the things that’s special about you.” He runs a hand through his hair as they turn a corner, both of them absently walking through an open gate. “I mean, we mighta not met if I was more like you. And as much of a pain as you are sometimes, that’d be pretty sad.”

Shu frowns at the insult, but he can’t really find fault in Kuro’s statement. “Tch. Don’t remind me of what a brute you were as a child. Miraculously even more so than you are now,” he huffs without animosity. Kuro laughs a bit at that, and it eases some of the tension in Shu’s chest.

“I was pretty bad, huh? But it was that brute that kept most of your dolls from gettin’ smashed,” he replies.

“Ugh, such dreadful little creatures those children were. I still have nightmares of the damage they did to such exquisite dolls,” Shu moans, burying his face in his hands. Kuro grins and lightly punches Shu’s arm.

“Hey, it’s all in the past. You were pretty cute back then, even if all you did was cling to your dolls. Must’ve been lonely like that,” Kuro says quietly. And Shu almost quips back at him if he hadn’t realized two things.

One, they’ve managed to wander not to either of their homes, but to the park they used to frequent as children. And two, there’s… Something. Something at the back of his head that’s bothering him and he can’t pinpoint exactly what. He looks around at the nostalgic setting they’ve found themselves in, recalling silly little encounters he’d had with his childhood friend. There’s something important he needs to remember, isn’t there?

- 

_“I told ya to get outta here already! I’ll really break your nose if you don’t!”_

_Kuro Kiryu stands, arms crossed, hands smeared with dirt and just a little blood from the kid he just punched the face. He’s barely in primary school, and yet he’s already managed to cast an intimidating shadow among his peers, younger and older. A shadow strong enough to send fear flooding over the faces of a few other scrappy kids who’d decided to make a day of breaking some poor boy’s dolls. He was weird, sure, but he didn’t do anything wrong. Jerks._

_The bullies in question turn tail and run, not doubting that Kuro would make good on his promise to break their noses. He sticks his tongue out at their backs for good measure before turning to face the shaking little boy curled up next to the big oak tree. Kuro kneels down and scoots over, taking not of the mangled state of the doll in the boy’s arms._

_“G-go away! I don’t need you, you’ll just break everything!” said boy cries, hugging the remains of his doll to his chest. Geez, what a brat. Kuro frowns. “I… I don’t need any other stupid kids. I have my dolls.”_

_Kuro tilts his head and prods at a discarded limb with a stick. “Aren’t you lonely like that?”_

_The boy rubs at his eyes and meets Kuro’s for the first time. “No… I’m fine,” he replies, but his heart isn’t in it. Kuro prods at his cheek, earning him a whine and a smack to the back of the hand._

_“You sure? Those other kids are probably gonna come back here if you’re alone.”_

_This realization clearly distresses the boy and he curls up closer to Kuro without realizing. “D-don’t let them…. I don’t want them to get near me,” he sniffs, tears welling up in his eyes again._

_Thinking about what his mother might do to comfort someone sad, Kuro wraps an arm around the boy’s shoulders. He’s staining his sleeve, but this doesn’t seem to bother him. “Okay.”_

_“R-really?”_

_Kuro nods. “Yeah. They’re jerks. I don’t get why you like dolls, but they’re still yours. Ain’t fair for them to smash ‘em up.”_  

_The boy nods and rubs at his eyes again, shoulders drooping in relief. “...Thank you,” he says quietly. “Uhm… What’s your name?”_

_“Kiryu. Kuro Kiryu.”_  

 _“Kiryu… Okay. I’m Itsuki Shu.”_  

 _Kuro nods. “Nice meetin’ ya, Itsuki… Icchan.”_  

 _Shu pouts, wriggling out from under Kuro’s arm. “No fair, you can’t give me a nickname if I don’t have one for you!”_  

_“Well, gimme one then.”_

_Shu ponders this for a moment, mumbling different variations of his new friend’s name. “Kiryu… Ryu… Oh! Ryuukun!” he exclaims, clearly looking pleased with himself._

_Kuro grins and socks Shu in the shoulder; his way of showing his approval. It hurts, but the pain is overshadowed by Shu’s genuine excitement over having made a friend._

_“C’mon, there’s a really cool creek I found the other day,” Kuro insists, grabbing Shu’s hand and pointing the way with his stick. Shu nods, hugging what he can salvage of his doll to his chest and follows._

 -

“Ryuukun!”

Kuro jumps, clearly startled by another outburst from his friend. “What is n- Oi, what are you doing?!”

Shu throws himself at Kuro with a strength that he didn’t know he had, leaning heavily against him as he yanks at his arm. “Stay still, I can’t see!” He realizes that Kuro is probably painfully confused, but he really doesn’t care. He needs to know, and he needs to know right this second.

“Seriously, what’s up with you today?” Kuro gasps, struggling to keep them both upright amid Shu’s determined grapple for his arm. “Would you let go and just tell me- Shit-!”

Shu finds himself overpowered as Kuro’s arms wrap tightly around him, crushing him to his broad chest as they tumble backwards and down the hill that he’d managed to completely overlook in his blind determination. He feels stones and branches whipping against him, and he feels one of Kuro’s hands cup the back of his head as they fall. It’s dizzying and painful and it’s all he can do to huddle as closely to Kuro as he can. When they finally come to a stop (thankfully without any hard landings) he’s half on top of Kuro and breathing heavily as adrenaline rushes through his system. Shu pushes himself over so that he’s straddling Kuro’s hips, keeping him -at least for the moment that he needs- pinned to the ground.

“Idiot,” Kuro breathes, chest heaving. “Are you okay?" 

Shu mumbles something unintelligible as he takes Kuro’s arm and pushes his sleeve up.

 _Go away! I don’t need you, you’ll just break everything!_  

Even in the moonlight, the precise, crisp printing -similar to his own handwriting- is clear. Shu stares, tracing the characters with his fingertip. 

“Hey, what are you… Seriously, what’s wrong?” Kuro asked, voice laced heavily with concern and… embarrassment? He sounds ragged, but not just because he tumbled down a hill with someone in his arms. 

“How long did you know?” Shu demands, eyes wide as he stares down at Kuro.

“Know what? That I’ve met my soulmate before? It’s nothin’ new, I’ve had my words since I was a kid,” Kuro replies, pushing himself up so he’s sitting. He rubs the back of his head, brushing out any stray foliage that had hitched a ride on their way down. 

“Tch… Idiot. Although I suppose so am I,” Shu huffs, shrugging off his jacket to present his forearm to Kuro. 

“What are you… Oh. Fuck,” Kuro swears under his breath as realization dawns. He looks from Shu’s arm, to his own, to Shu’s gaze still fixed intently on him. “How’d… How’d neither of us notice before?"

Shu rubs the bridge of his nose. Today has been far more emotionally exhausting than he was prepared for. “I suppose it wasn’t quite at the forefront of our minds as children. I didn’t bother to think back on our first conversation before today, before…” He pauses, looking down and gripping the edge of Kuro’s shirt. “...You aren’t allowed to leave my side,” he whispers, barely audible.

“Is… Is that why you freaked out earlier?” Kuro reaches up and brushes some stray grass out of Shu’s hair. “You thought I wanted to leave or somethin’?” 

“I wanted- I want you by my side. I want to keep creating things with you. I never considered the thought of you not… Not wanting that,” Shu admits. “You’re insufferably important to me. I couldn’t bring myself to hate you, even when I was at my worst. You could never be a perfect little doll; I could never hope to control you. It’s terrifying. What you mean to me is terrifying.”

Kuro pauses. “...I didn’t know you cared that much,” he says quietly. “I always kinda thought I was more of a nuisance for you than anything else, gettin’ left as apart of your past. I worried too damn much about you last year, y’know, but I thought… Thought I’d be gettin’ in your way. It’s been real nice having the chance to be around you again.” 

Shu rests his forehead against Kuro’s shoulder, feeling his fingers gently stroke through his hair. “Like mother like son,” he mutters. “Damn Kiryu family turning me into a sentimental fool.”

Kuro huffs a laugh and pulls Shu closer, letting his hand trail down to rub circles against his back. “I don’t have to stop sewing, y’know. I still want to give university a try, but… Maybe we could work together. Take commissions or somethin’. Get an apartment after we graduate and… Figure it out,” he muses. Shu’s arms wrap around Kuro’s shoulders. 

“I may have to take you up on that,” he murmurs. He feels so, so tired now that the anxiety that had been piling up for weeks now is suddenly dissipating. He hadn’t even noticed it was there to begin with. This… He could get used to this. 

“This might be a dumb question, but… does this mean you wanted to be together?”

Shu rolls his eyes and flicks Kuro’s ear. “Yes, you giant oaf.” Kuro grins. 

“Good, so this won’t bother you.”

“What won’t-”

Kuro tastes like cinnamon, Shu realizes. His eyes drift closed, leaning against his soulmate as Kuro’s hand comes to cradle the back of his head. It’s soft and chaste, betraying both of their inexperience, but the gentleness which which Kuro holds him makes him feel like his heart is about to burst.

Shu could definitely get used to this.

**Author's Note:**

> wow what's this an actual fic oh my goodness. please don't ask me how they went years without realizing their soulmate words matched up I don't know okay  
> I have a few other things I wanna do with this au, primarily post graduation domestic kuroshus (and the 3rd year soumika unit of my dreams) so this might turn into a series? I have no idea but I love these boys to death and I want them to be happy


End file.
